Tanya Plibersek has announced she will not run for the Labor leadership

Tanya Plibersek has made a shock announcement, declaring she will not run to be the leader of the Labor Party.

Tanya Plibersek has announced she will not run to be the leader of the Labor Party.

After much speculation following Bill Shorten’s defeat at the Saturday election, the Deputy Leader has announced she will not be vying for the party’s top job, saying she has to put her family first.

“I am very grateful for the support I have received from my colleagues, from party members and others, urging me to run for the Labor leadership,” Ms Plibersek said in a statement.

“But now is not my time.

“At this point, I cannot reconcile the important responsibilities I have to my family with the additional responsibilities of the Labor leadership.

“I know some people will be disappointed with this decision.

“I intend to continue as deputy leader until the leadership is determined.”

Mr Shorten was reportedly backing Ms Plibersek for the leadership, The Australian reported on Sunday night, citing senior Labor sources.

Former prime minister Julia Gillard also came out in support of Ms Plibersek for the top job.

Ms Plibersek, who holds one of the safest Labor seats in the country, is from the left faction of the party.

She was expected to announce her intention to enter the ballot today after yesterday saying she was “considering” the run.

“I’m certainly considering it,” she told ABC’s Insiders this morning.

“My determination is to ensure we’re in the best place to win in three years’ time.”

It’s crucial for the Opposition to continue its focus on “discipline and unity”, she said.

“I’ll talk to my colleagues today but of course I’m considering it.”

According to ABC political reporter Patricia Karvelas, Ms Plibersek would have had the numbers in Victoria.

Tanya Plibersek says it’s not her time to lead the party. Picture: Lukas Coch/AAP

Anthony Albanese, the Opposition’s spokesman for infrastructure and also from the left of the party, yesterday announced his intention to run for the leadership.

Mr Albanese became the first to officially announce his run at a pub in Balmain, in Sydney’s inner west.

He was full of praise for Mr Shorten, who will remain in an interim role until his successor is chosen.

“He has fought a tough campaign, he has led our great party for six years. He has been an inclusive leader and is someone who has campaigned on a policy agenda in the interests of working people, and is someone who has my respect,” Mr Albanese said.

Mr Albanese was the rank-and-file choice over Mr Shorten in 2013 after Kevin Rudd’s defeat however a rule change determining how the Labor leader is picked — 50 per cent from Caucus and 50 per cent from the membership — saw Mr Shorten ultimately chosen.

Shadow treasury spokesman Chris Bowen is also expected run for the leadership.

He was part of Mr Shorten’s inner-circle but will be hampered by the fact that he was the main architect of Labor’s big picture tax reform agenda which was rejected at the ballot box yesterday.

Mr Bowen said he would consult with his family before making any decision about his leadership ambitions.

Anthony Albanese announcing he will run for the party's leadership. Picture: Peter Parks/AFP

Labor’s national executive committee met on Monday to lay out the framework for the leadership ballot.

The full Labor executive, comprising senior MPs and key party officials, will meet on Wednesday.

The search for the next leader is expected to take about one month. Rank and file members will first cast their votes, followed by the federal Labor caucus, before the results are averaged out and a winner crowned.

Opposition frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon believes the party has drifted too far to the left.

“We certainly have to get back to the centre and we have to reconnect to our working class base,” he told ABC Radio National.

“Someone needs to indicate that they are the person who is prepared to put us back on track. And if someone’s not prepared to do that, well, I might just do it myself.”

Doug Cameron, a leading figure in the Labor left who retired from the Senate at the election, disagrees.

“This is not the time to panic and move to the ‘centre’ as a proxy for abandoning progressive policies and capitulating once again to neoliberalism,” he tweeted.

“There was no Morrison miracle, only a scare campaign prosecuted by the billionaires who control the media and the mining industries.”

Mr Fitzgibbon suffered a big swing against him in the NSW mining seat of Hunter, with voters favouring One Nation’s pro-coal candidate.

He said the opposition had equivocated over the Adani coal mine in Queensland. “Chifley’s ‘light on the hill’ became a flickering light on Adani for the Labor Party.”

The federal opposition has consistently argued the Carmichael mine must stand on its own feet and pass strict environmental laws.

“We needed to make it clear that if it was able to do so, that of course Labor would welcome the investment and jobs,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

With AAP